As we get set for week 15, the NFL playoff push is underway! We will see a big NFC West matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks. On Saturday we have a special triple-header on NFL Network as it will be, Colts-Vikings, Ravens-Browns and Dolphins-Bills. For Sundays slate of early-window games we will see, Eagles-Bears, Lions-Jets, Steelers-Panthers, Cowboys-Jaguars, Chiefs-Texans and Saints-Falcons. For the later games it will be, Cardinals-Broncos, Patriots-Raiders, Bengals-Buccaneers and Titans-Chargers. To end of Sunday we get to watch Giants-Commanders in primetime. So now, let me share my analysis, game picks and bold prediction for each game.
49ers (9-4) @Seahawks (7-6) -3.5 SF THU 8:15 PM ET
49ers:
The 49ers come into Seattle after a 35-7 win behind rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy played excellent, throwing 3 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions. The 49ers have been dealing with many injuries, with star wide receiver Deebo Samuel out for this week's game. The 49ers defense is playing some outstanding in the second half, as they have given up 14 points in the last 6 games (only including the second half). The 49ers will try to lock up the NFC West with a win tonight.
Seahawks:
The Seattle Seahawks look to stay above .500, after an embarrassing 30-24 loss to the Panthers, where quarterback Geno Smith was able to throw 3 touchdown passes, but also threw 2 interceptions. The Seahawks will have to deal with one of, if not the best defense in the NFL. Seattle was without Kenneth Walker III, however he is expected to play in this game, even though they are on a short week.
Bold Prediction:
Geno Smith will throw for under 175 passing yards. Geno Smith is facing one of the top defenses that picked off Tom Brady twice.
Game Pick:
SF 27 SEA 16
Colts (4-8-1) @Vikings (10-3) -4.0 MIN SAT 1:00 PM ET
Colts:
The Colts come into the first of a Saturday triple-header, off of a bye week. They get a Vikings squad that let Jared Goff (the Lions quarterback) throw for 330 yards and 2 40+ yard touchdown passes. The Vikings have ranked near the bottom in the league in pass defense stats the entire year, so Matt Ryan will try to exploit that weakness. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has ran for 399 yards in his last 4 games. If the Colts can combine that with a weak Vikings pass defense, they could try to pull of an upset.
Vikings:
The Vikings come off of a 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions, and if they're going to want to win this game their passing defense is going to have to step up. After giving up 330 yards and 3 touchdown passes Jared Goff, the Vikings defense gets a passing attack that has thrown for under 250 yards in their last 5 games. Kirk Cousins was able to throw for 425 yards last week, 2 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions. Cousins will look for another performance like that, and hope to get some help from the defense.
Bold Prediction:
Matt Ryan and Kirk Cousins will combine for over 650 passing yards. I think that the Colts and the Vikings will combine for over 650 passing yards because the Vikings rank near the bottom in the league in all key passing metrics, and Kirk Cousins is coming off of a 425 yard passing performance.
Game Pick:
IND 38 MIN 45
Ravens (9-4) @Browns (5-8) -3.0 CLE 4:30 PM ET
Ravens:
The Baltimore Ravens head to Cleveland after outlasting the Steelers 16-14. Lamar Jackson has been ruled out for Saturdays game, so it will be Tyler Huntley starting. Huntley was able to clear concussion protocol so he can start. The Ravens were able to beat the Browns back in week 9 23-20, in the game that Lamar was injured.
Browns:
It took the Browns 1 game, 1 half, 12 minutes and 37 seconds to score a touchdown under Deshaun Watson. Watson hasn’t done very good ever since returning, throwing 1 touchdown passes to 2 interceptions. The Browns will have to stop a mobile quarterback when they face Lamar Jackson. The Browns offense will have to step up if they want to beat the Ravens, as their defense has been doing pretty well.
Bold Prediction:
The Browns will have less then 300 total yards. Deshaun Watson has been very shaky as of late, and I don't think that will change this week. I also think the Ravens will be able to stop Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Game Pick:
BAL 20 CLE 16
Bills (10-3) @Dolphins (8-5) -7.0 BUF 8:15 PM ET
Bills:
The Buffalo Bills come off of an ugly 20-12 win over the New York Jets. The Dolphins beat the Bills back in week 3 21-19. The Bills get a Dolphins squad that is usually on point, but last week Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa only completed 10 of his 28 passes. The Bills will have to watch out for speedster Tyreek Hill, as Hill had two 55+ yard touchdown receptions.
Dolphins:
If the Miami Dolphins have any hopes of winning the AFC East, it starts with this performance. The Dolphins defense got eaten up by Justin Herbert, as he threw for 387 yards and 39 completions. They also could not stop the duo of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. Now, they face a Bills team that has been rather sluggish throwing the ball as of late, but they can when they want to. They have amazing WR/TE players with Stephon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox.
Bold Prediction:
There will be 75+ total points in the game. Josh Allen and the Bills are due for a good offensive performance, and even though the Bills have an excellent defense, I think Tre’Davious White won’t be able to get a good hold of Tyreek Hill.
Game Pick:
MIA 38 BUF 41
Eagles (12-1) @Bears (3-10) -9.0 PHI 1:00 PM ET
Eagles:
The Eagles head to Soldier Field after a rout of the Giants 44-28. The Eagles wide receivers have some nice streaks going, as AJ Brown has scored in his last 2 games, and Devonta Smith has scored in back-to-back games. Now, they get a Bears defense that has been very poor against the pass, and is giving up 4.8 yards per carry. However, for Jalen Hurts the Bears are only allowing 3.8 YPC to quarterbacks.
Bears:
The Bears come off of their bye week, as they head home to Chicago to take on the Eagles. One of the biggest things the Washington Commanders were able to do to beat the Eagles was run the ball and chew time off the clock. Thankfully for the Bears, they have the leading rusher at the quarterback position this year, Justin Fields. With the Eagles defense giving up a fat 6.3 YPC to the quarterback position, look for Fields to have a big game, as the Bears try to pull off a big upset.
Bold Prediction:
The Eagles and the Bears will combine for over 400 rushing yards. Even though the Bears have held quarterback to 3.8 a carry, running backs are gashing them for 4.8 yards per carry. As it is opposite for the Eagles, as they have held running backs to a NFL leading 3.8 a carry, however quarterbacks have averaged 6.3 a carry against them.
Game Pick:
PHI 24 CHI 16
Lions (6-7) @Jets (7-6) -1.0 NYJ 1.0 1:00 PM ET
Lions:
The Lions are coming off of a 31-23 win over the Minnesota Vikings, and look to beat the New York Jets in East Rutherford. The Lions passing attack is coming off of one of its best games, with Jared Goff Throwing for 330 yards and 3 touchdown passes. However, the Lions passing defense gave up and astounding 425 yards to Kirk Cousins. The Lions have won back-to-back matchups and will look to make it 3 in a row against New York.
Jets:
The New York Jets enter this game against the Lions after a sloppy 20-12 loss. Mike White (the Jets quarterback) was knocked out of the game twice because of blows to the ribs. The Jets great pass defense will face Jared Goff, and a red hot lions pass attack. The Jets confirmed that Zach Wilson will be active as White's backup in case he needs it. The Jets will look to beat the Lions and get closer to clinching a playoff spot.
Bold prediction:
The Jets and Lions will combine for under 500 total passing yards. Even though Mike White was able to get 684 passing yards in his first two starts, he was shut down by the Bills last week. However, the Lions passing offense was on point last week with their quarterback, Jared Goff throwing for 330 yards. Even though that happened I still think that the Jets defense will shut down the Lions offense, and keep them in check.
Game Pick:
DET 20 NYJ 24
Steelers (5-8) @Panthers (5-8) -3.0 CAR 1:00 PM ET
Steelers:
The Pittsburgh Steelers coming to Carolina, after a 16 to 14 loss to the Ravens. The Steelers were without quarterback Kenny Pickett due to concussion. Pickett has had three limited practices This week, and is questionable for the game. Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky have both split starting reps this week. No matter who is the quarterback for the Steelers they will need to win to try to keep their playoff hopes realistic.
Panthers:
The Carolina Panthers come into this game after beating the Seattle Seahawks 30 to 24. The Carolina Panthers will either face Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett. No matter who they face they will have to watch out for rookie wide receiver George Pickens. The Panthers are rolling with Sam Darnold at quarterback, as he led them to a victory last week. He will try to do the same this week to stay competitive in the NFC South.
Bold Prediction:
There will be 10 or fewer total points in the first half. The Steelers struggled Mightily last week and I don’t expect it to change in this game. Even though the Panthers were able to put up 30 points last week against the Seahawks I don’t expect them to do well coming out of the gates in this game.
Game Pick:
PIT 20 CAR 27
Cowboys (10-3) @Jaguars (5-8) -4.0 DAL 1:00 PM ET
Cowboys:
The Dallas Cowboys come into week 15 after almost blowing a game to the one-win Texans as more than 2 touchdown favorites. Dak Prescott played pretty well completing 24 of us 39 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown pass. He also let the Cowboys down the field for a game-winning touchdown run in two minutes and 39 seconds. Dallas will look to win more comfortably this week when they take on the Jaguars.
Jaguars:
The Jaguars come off of a 36-22 victory over the Titans. In that game they let Derrick Henry run for 119 yards in the first half. However, in the second half they held Henry to just two rushing yards, as they were able to solidify the win. Trevor Lawrence threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Evan Engram was able to haul in 11 passes for 162 yards and 2 of Lawrence's touchdown passes. The Jaguars will look to keep their foot on the gas pedal and shock the Cowboys.
Bold Prediction:
There will be over 750 passing yards. Trevor Lawrence was able to throw for an astounding 368 yards last week. Dak Prescott was able to throw for 284 yards and the Jaguars allowed Ryan Tannehill to throw for 254 yards.
Game Pick:
DAL 31 JAX 41
Chiefs (10-3) @Texans (1-11-1) -14.0 KC 1:00 PM ET
Chiefs:
The Chiefs come into this game with a chance to seal the AFC West for good. Patrick Mahomes is coming off of a Game where he threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns. His main target was running back Jerick McKinnon, Who caught seven passes for 112 yards and found the end zone twice. The Chiefs also carry a sneaky good running back, Isaiah Pacheco. Pacheco had 13 carries last week and produced 70 yards off of them.
Texans:
The Texans almost pulled off an upset last week when they came into Dallas as more than 2 touchdown underdogs and still ended up losing in the final four minutes. The Texans displayed a two quarterback System that almost won the game. One of the quarterbacks, David Mills, is the main passer going 16 of 21 with 175 yards but threw a game losing pick. The Texans used Jeff Driskel as more of a running quarterback as he carried the ball 7 times for 36 yards.
Bold Prediction:
The Texans will run for over 150 yards. If the Texans want to win this game they are going to have to grind the clock and keep Patrick Mahomes off the field. I think the Texans will try this and will end up rushing for over 150 yards.
Game Pick:
KC 24 HOU 17
Falcons (5-8) @Saints (4-9) -3.0 DEN 4:05 PM ET
Falcons:
In the Falcons first game starting Desmond Ridder, he gets a Saints defense that hasn’t done very well this year. I think the Cordarrelle Patterson will be a big help to Ridder as he is going to need a big weapon out of the backfield to throw too. In Ridder’s first start expect to the Falcons to try to ease him in and not run complex plays.
Saints:
The New Orleans Saints come in to this game with a 4-9 record, so here their only goal is to win bragging rights and stop their rivals from having any chance to make the playoffs. Chris Olave will look to have another breakout game and prove that he is the future wide receiver one of the New Orleans Saints
Bold Prediction:
Desmond Ridder will throw for over 250 yards. In Desmond Ridder’s first career start I think that he is going to ball out, and even though it isn’t that much I think Desmond Ridder will throw for 250+ yards.
Game Pick:
NO 6 ATL 24
Cardinals (4-9) @Broncos (3-10) -3.0 DEN 4:05 PM ET
Cardinals:
The Cardinals come into this game with a lost season. The Cardinals are one game off from elimination and have just lost starting quarterback Kyler Murray for the season due to an ACL tear. The Cardinals will look to try to see what they have in Colt McCoy as they look ahead to the next season. If the Cardinals want to win this game they have to try to get the ball to Hopkins and let him take care of the rest.
Broncos:
The Broncos will either start Russel Wilson (if he can clear concussion protocol) or Brett Rypien. It could be a game of backups if Rypien starts as the Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray suffered a season ending ACL tear. The Broncos will look to lock up DeAndre Hopkins if they want to win this game. With a game featuring two teams out of the playoff picture, all there's left to fight for is bragging rights.
Bold Prediction:
There will be under 30 total points. With both teams having an injury riddled offense, I think that no matter who the starting quarterback is for the Denver Broncos both teams will have under 30 combined points.
Game Pick:
ARI 13 DEN 14
Patriots (7-6) @Raiders (5-8) -1.0 LV 4:05 PM ET
Patriots:
The Patriots head to Las Vegas after they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the desert. In that game Mac Jones threw for only 235 yards and a pick. The Patriots defense came up clutch in the third quarter when DeAndre Hopkins fumbled the ball the patriots brought it back 23 yards to the house. The game was capped off by a 3 yard Pierre Strong touchdown run. The Patriots will look to make a playoff push in this game versus the Raiders.
Raiders:
The Raiders come off of a heartbreaking 17 to 16 loss at Sofi stadium versus the Rams. The Raiders had the lead for 59 minutes and 50 seconds of the game. Then Baker Mayfield drove the Rams down 98 yards and threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Van Jefferson in the closing moments. Josh Jacobs was injured for some of the game, as it looks to get back to his NFL leading rushing ways.
Bold Prediction:
The Raiders will run for over 150 yards. Josh Jacobs currently leads the NFL in rushing yards, and even though the Rams were able to shut him down successfully I don’t think that the Patriots will be able to have the same luck. I think Jacobs will be able to get over 150 rushing yards with some help from his teammates.
Game Pick:
NE 20 LV 31
Titans (7-6) @Chargers (7-6) -3.0 LAC 4:25 PM ET
Titans:
The Titans are coming off of a blowout loss against the Jaguars at home. Now, after letting Trevor Lawrence throw for 368 yards, they are getting Justin Herbert who threw for 367 yards last week and a touchdown pass. The Titans will have to get Derrick Henry going again because, although he rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown, 119 of those yards came in the first half against the Jaguars.
Chargers:
Justin Herbert has been playing amazing as of late, as in his latest performance against the Miami Dolphins, Herbert went 39-51 for 367 passing yards and a touchdown pass. His main targets were Mike Williams who showed up big, catching six passes for 116 yards in Herbert’s touchdown. Keenan Allen also had a good game catching 12 passes for 92 yards. The Chargers will look to replicate that against the Titans.
Bold Prediction:
Derrick Henry will have under 50 rushing yards. Derrick Henry was able to dominate the Jaguars in the first half, rushing for 119 yards. But, in the second half the Jaguars defense showed up and only let him have 2 yards the entire half. I think the 2nd half showing will carry over into this week.
Game Pick:
TEN 17 LAC 38
Bengals (9-4) @Buccaners (6-7) -3.5 CIN 4:25 PM ET
Bengals:
Joe Burrow and the Bengals will look to win and set up a huge week 18 game that if The Bengals and Ravens both win out to that point, it would be a game to decide the division winner. The Bengals get a Buccaneers defense that gave up 28 points in the first half. Zach Taylor said Tee Higgins would play last week but he didn’t, so we don’t know if they are actually going to play him this week.
Buccaneers:
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers look to have a better offensive performance than last week where they only scored seven points and were down 28 to 0 at halftime. The Buccaneers will have to stop Ja’Marr Chase if they want to win this game. The Bucs are currently a top of the NFC South and would stay there with a shocking victory over the Bengals.
Bold Prediction:
Ja’Marr Chase will rack up over 150 receiving yards against the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers let Brock Purdy throw for 185 yards but two touchdowns. The Bengals however, have an amazing quarterback Joe Burrow so I expect Chase to go over 150 yards receiving.
Game Pick:
CIN 31 TB 13
Giants (7-5-1) @Commanders (7-5-1) -4.5 WSH 8:20 PM ET
Giants:
The Giants come off of being routed by the Eagles 48-22. this could determine if the Giants make the playoffs or not. After tying with the Commanders two weeks ago this is a must win game for both teams. Daniel Jones is going to have to try to get the ball the Saquon Barkley even when they’re passing the ball. Can Daniel Jones and the Giants come up clutch and win this ballgame?
Commanders:
The Commanders come into this game with seven wins, five losses and a tie to these Giants two weeks ago. Taylor Heinicke is going to have to lead the Commanders to a victory here at home if the Commanders want to stay in the running for 1 of the final 3 wild card spots. Terry McLaurin could seal the deal for the Commanders.
Bold Prediction:
Terry McLaurin will go over 150 total yards. In a big division game, I think that Terry McLaurin is going to have a big impact in this game. Not only do I think Terry McLaurin is going to go for over 150 total yards, I also think he will score at least one touchdown.
Game Pick:
NYG 27 WSH 30
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